In June 2016, 90 Seconds clip earns $400 million, Kim Min-seok had no idea what was going to happen when he gave his approval for the release of a straightforward 90-second children’s song. After going viral on the internet, the video finally became a worldwide cultural phenomenon. It is currently the most viewed video on YouTube, with over 16 billion views.

obviously, Baby Shark was the music. Parents all around the world found themselves humming it against their will, while children everywhere couldn’t get enough of it. But Baby Shark accomplished more than just the catchy song and endless loops. It served as the catalyst for Pinkfong’s rise to popularity and assisted in growing into a media brand valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.

Speaking to the BBC from Pinkfong’s Seoul headquarters, Kim Min-seok, the company’s current CEO, discussed the surprising surge. He acknowledged that they didn’t think the song would be memorable. In the future, he views it as a crucial occasion that marked the start of Pinkfong’s global adventure.

Everything was modified by an easy children’s song. And it all began on a typical day in 2016 with a silent approval.

Salaries were not expected:

The company, which was founded in 2010 under the name SmartStudy, produced digital content for kids up to the age of twelve.

Mr. Kim and Dongwoo Son, the company’s chief technology officer, were the only three workers.

“The office was tiny – even smaller than this,” Mr. Kim remembered, pointing to the conference room where he was making the call.

He stated through a translator that “we didn’t even expect a salary at the time” because it was barely enough.

Pinkfong experienced a number of significant changes, one of which was to concentrate on toddlers.

The company targeted simpler, learning-based games and content as it expanded to over 100 people. “And that’s when Baby Shark emerged,” Mr. Kim stated.

Since 2022, the company has gone by the moniker The Pinkfong Company, which was inspired by a happy and curious fox that appeared in one of its early cartoons.

With offices in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Los Angeles, it currently employs about 340 people.

BABY SHARK MOMENT :

It is thought that Baby Shark made its debut in the United States in the 1970s and was frequently performed at summer camps for kids.

“Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo” is repeated in the song, which is “attractive for children, though possibly annoying for adults,” according to Nanyang Technological University media specialist Kevin Chew.

furthermore, Mr. Kim is well aware of how catchy it is.

It resembles a K-pop tune. The song has a “chanting” quality that makes it easy for kids to remember, he added. “It’s very fast-paced, rhythmic, and addictive.”

However, it failed to take off right away and didn’t become popular until its dance routine was shown at South East Asian children’s festivals.

Online videos of kids and adults dancing to the music began to circulate, and the video rapidly gained popularity.

According to Mr. Kim, there was a “festival-like feeling” in the Pinkfong office as the team saw its watching numbers surge.

The Baby Shark video was the most viewed on YouTube in November 2020.

In the years immediately after the video’s debut, it accounted for 90 Seconds clip earns $400 million almost half of the company’s income and served as a launchpad for future products and content, he added.

However, Pinkfong was accused of copying the work of an American composer in 2019, which led to a legal action.

The company claimed that its performance was based on a public domain folk song, but the Supreme Court of South Korea dismissed the case.

According to Mr. Kim, the victory boosted the company as its shares became public 90 Seconds clip earns $400 million. The stock market application was submitted prior to the announcement of the verdict, he continued.

Single hit wonder :

According to Min Jung Kim, a professor of management at Korea University, Pinkfong’s other franchises, such as Bebefinn and Sealook, are expanding quickly, but the company needs to demonstrate that its success is not only dependent on Baby Shark.

Toddlers frequently watch the same content, so the company’s target audience is a huge advantage, she added.

Kim Min-seok is confident that his company can expand beyond Baby Shark, which presently generates around 25% of Pinkfong’s earnings. Bebefinn, on the other hand, has made significant strides and now accounts for about 40% of the company’s profits.

A parent expressed different views regarding Pinkfong’s films to our souces.

Saleem Nashef, a father of two, stated that while he values the firm’s instructional material, his wife believes Baby Shark is “too over-stimulating for kids.”

His daughter, who is going to be three, will have a birthday party with a Baby Shark theme, so it seems impossible to avoid the popular video.

According to Prof. Kim, it’s still unknown if Pinkfong can develop other characters that have the same level of commercial appeal as Baby Shark.

According to Mr. Kim, it raised over $52 million at its stock market launch and intends to utilise the funds to increase the number of films and characters in its lineup.

By utilising viewing trends and other data to inform its new initiatives, the company also hopes to become a “tech-driven” content producer.

Pinkfong has already accomplished “what many creators have always dreamed of,” according to Mr. Kim.

However, it now needs to demonstrate to investors that it is more than a one-hit wonder.